The Buffalo Bills responded to a lopsided preseason loss one week prior by defeating the Steelers 9-3 at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium on Saturday in their second exhibition game. The Bills did not anticipate all of the participation going into the game, though.
All of the team’s players, including Josh Allen, the starting quarterback, were supposed to play. But, coach Sean McDermott deviated from the intended schedule due to the unfavorable weather that was sweeping through Pittsburgh before the game.
Allen warmed up, but McDermott played it safe and left Allen on the sidelines rather than take a chance in a game that is not important for the standings. The head coach also said that the Bills rested starting middle linebacker Terrel Bernard because they were affected by the indefinite loss of top outside linebacker Matt Milano.
Even in the absence of those two stars, the way the squad used its players and how others performed gave important information about the competition for roster positions. Who moved forward, and who could be in a worse situation now?
Here’s a stock report from the Bills’ second preseason game.
Risers
DE Greg Rousseau
Entering his fourth season, Rousseau has been a highlight at training camp thanks to his many pass-rushing triumphs, and he carried over that success into his brief on-field action on Saturday night. Rousseau saw just 11 snaps in total, seven of which were pass-rushing situations. And Rousseau had a great outing, finishing with 2 1/2 sacks on just seven pass-rushing reps. But the way he was winning was just as important as the numbers. Broderick Jones, a right tackle for the Steelers and a projected first-round selection in 2023, was outmuscled by Rousseau. As the Bills get closer to the season opener, it is encouraging to see how Rousseau set up his pass-rush maneuvers to help him win in a different way than he usually does.
GREG‼️
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 17, 2024
📺: @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/Yu6L8A7E0z
CB Daequan Hardy
The rookie had the inside track to start the game as the starting return specialist because he was selected in the 2024 draft. Furthermore, based on his performance and the way the Bills used him early in the game, Hardy may be getting closer to being selected for the roster. He looked confident catching the ball on all opportunities, then may have cinched it with a 31-yard return on one of those chances. It was his best return to date and helped put the Bills in a much better situation to start a drive. On top of that, he was the second-team boundary cornerback, continuing to show he can also provide value on defense.
DB Cam Lewis
At this exact moment in the preseason last year, the Bills began to use Lewis at safety. Against the Steelers, they reproduced the play like clockwork. Lewis started beside Taylor Rapp in the absence of Cole Bishop, Mike Edwards, and Damar Hamlin, demonstrating his continued importance to the defense as a whole. As long as Bishop is out, there are always opportunities for movement on depth charts, and since Lewis is a better match for the open free safety position, he might be someone to watch in the competition.
CB Ja’Marcus Ingram
Usually a boundary cornerback, Ingram worked as the backup nickel to starter Taron Johnson and made some nice plays on defense. But a better sign was his special teams usage on one particular unit. Early in the game, the Bills appeared to go with as similar to their regular-season first unit punt coverage as possible, and Ingram pushed himself into the top two of the all-important gunner role. Between his increasing special teams skill and the inside-outside adaptability at cornerback, he is moving closer to winning a spot on the 53-man roster.
Rookie running back Ray Davis showed the Bills what they were looking for Saturday night. (Joe Sargent / Getty Images)
RB Ray Davis
Davis put together some great runs, specifically during his only drive of the second half. It’s the running style the Bills had been waiting to see from the rookie, with him looking physical and exhibiting the good rushing vision they believed in when they drafted him. But it was an equally good indicator that Davis was the second running back to play, ahead of Ty Johnson, the player he’s battling to be James Cook’s backup. Johnson did sub in for Davis at one point in the first half, but Davis hasn’t won the job fully. On the plus side for the rookie, the appearance order can frequently indicate where the depth chart is right now.
LB Joe Andreessen
That night, Buffalo native Andreessen was the star of the show. In addition to hurting Baylon Spector and Nicholas Morrow, the team chose to rest Bernard, therefore the undrafted rookie was handed the starting job at middle linebacker. He took a big number of snaps before he left the game. He made a significant impact and was always fast to get to the ball, recording a total of 12 tackles. Despite his lack of chance to make the Bills’ 53-man roster in 2024, Andreessen has established himself as a member of the practice squad. He may be positioning himself to be the next University at Buffalo undrafted player on the Buffalo Bills’ long-term practice squad development plan, similar to Lewis and Ingram.
Fallers
WR K.J. Hamler
Hamler has been Hardy’s biggest opponent in the competition to be the team’s return specialist, but he was unable to receive any opportunities against the Steelers. This summer, he has experienced problems with ball security several times, most notably in the team’s opening preseason game against the Bears. Moreover, Hamler did not enter the game until the latter half, and when he did, Curtis Samuel was not present. These are all disheartening signs for Hamler, who appears to be looking in on the 53-man roster from the outside.
OL Will Clapp and La’El Collins
Collins and Clapp are grouped together due of their comparable circumstances. The backup offensive line possibilities have two seasoned blockers, but they are both signed to one-year contracts and have not performed well this summer. The second-team offensive line was still in the game when they were substituted out for two inexperienced guys, which made the trend even more noteworthy. The Bills made some changes to that lineup, inserting rookie Sedrick Van Pran-Granger at center and 2023 undrafted free agent Richard Gouraige at guard. The most exciting thing about Gouraige seeing action with the second unit is that, should the Bills opt to stick with 10 offensive lineman, he poses the greatest threat to Collins.
QB Mitchell Trubisky
Trubisky had no justifications in this game. He was working with the full first-team Bills offense and up against a Steelers defensive line that was missing a couple important players. Trubisky was unable to move aside from himself. Twice was he sacked, he failed to move the ball down the field with his best players available, and he made a very poor interception. Trubisky did manage to save his day with a great ball to tight end Zach Davidson that resulted in a 27-yard gain later in the play. To make matters worse, Trubisky’s knee issue forced him to depart. The Bills must hope that Trubisky’s injury is not serious, but nonetheless, his play must make the team feel as though it made the correct decision.
Brewing up an INT 🔒
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) August 17, 2024
📲 Stream on NFL+: https://t.co/iu7bDTXJ4C pic.twitter.com/n4rMkn8VQK
WR Tyrell Shavers
The 2023 undrafted free agent appeared to be in a strong position to make the squad after a strong start to training camp. However, Shavers was not given any offensive playing time with the first team, and worse, another player took over his gunner position on the first team’s punt coverage. In addition, he committed two special teams penalties, which might make it difficult for him to get one of the remaining berths. Shavers had a nice evening despite the difficult circumstances. His versatility was demonstrated when he played both in the slot and as a Z receiver during his offensive career. In addition, it was evident that he was the sixth receiver to join the game, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling was the man who sustained a neck injury before him. However, Shavers’ roster odds
Next up: The Bills host the Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m. on Saturday to wrap out their preseason campaign.
(Top photo of Joe Andreessen and Greg Rousseau: Joe Sargent / Getty Images)
